CHAPTER ONE STITCHES BEFORE THE INJURY ❪ district four : six months before the 69th games❫
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SEREYA'S KNIFE CUT INTO THE EYE. She held the small, fragile, body in her hands and scrutinised as it lay lifeless. No, not her best work. Not yet, at least. She huffed slightly, squinting to make out the smaller details that the amber firelight did not illuminate. Shadows fell into the crevices, making it impossible to discern if she'd done any real damage to the masterpiece she'd been creating. Her eyes flickered to the older women across from her, hoping to seek approval, but instead finding herself distracted by concern.
"Mags?" She said, placing down her knife and soap. The waxy peels of it scattered her lap, and unlike when she carved in wood, they could be easily gathered by carelessly squishing them between her hands. Soap was safer— no spelks, easier on the knife. She had to concentrate hard when using wood, and tonight she didn't have the capacity for it. "Are you okay?"
Sometimes, the older women got this far off look in her eyes. When it was quiet, and the flames of the fire flickered against her skin, she would stare into the burning coals and go somewhere else. Sereya knew where that somewhere else was— it didn't take a genius to deduce that the scars of the hunger games were everlasting, and memories would glaze over Mag's eyes like a mist creeping over morning.
She wonders if her parents ever feel the scars like Mag's does. They don't show it.
Mags looked up abruptly, pulled from her thoughts. I think it would be a good idea for you to train for the games this year. She signed her words, and Sereya blinked at her, feeling like she'd been pushed from the dock and into winter waters. "Train?" She echoed verbally, "Like... a career? Mags, I don't—"
Mags shook her head when her voice raised a pitch in anxiousness, You won't be volunteering. It's just in case. Sereya stared at her for a moment— maybe it wasn't such an outlandish suggestion, but she'd been eligible for the games for years. So, why now? What about this year felt different enough in odds to warrant training?
